Disgaea: Presence of Hope
by Little Miss Independence
Summary: Mao really hates destiny, sometimes. Especially if it throws him into another world even crazier than his to save the universe, which is something he had...okay, some choice in. Based off of Human World ending. Read and review, please!
1. A Prince's Awakening

…_**Yeah. See, I watched the Human World ending on YouTube once, and only once. That was after reading all 23 chapters of Fail To The King! That is an awesome fan fic, by the way, you should go read it. It was the inspiration for this fic.**_

_**Okay, so. After I watched the ending, my brain started acting up again, and I found myself scribbling out the beginnings of this story on a pad of yellow paper. I didn't really know what to do for Mao, though, especially since he was just floating in the remains of his world, which means there isn't much for him to do other than that. Then I hit upon the craziest idea that my brain may have ever come up with:**_

_**Send Mao to Mundus Vetus, aka the world of Mahou Sensei Negima, a few days before the Kyoto arc. Yes.**_

_**Please read and review! I appreciate constructive criticism most of all. Flames will be subjected to laughter before tossed into the fire where they belong.**_

_**Also, spoilers, chiefly for Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Disgaea 3.  
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><p><strong>Disgaea: Presence of Hope<strong>

_Prologue: A Prince's Awakening_

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><p><em>Once upon a time, there was a demon. But not just any demon, mind you—the subject of our story is an honor student, one of the most evil demons in the Nether Institute, where demons went to learn how to become proper demons. He was the best one of all, and the reason why was because of his heart, closed to all, even himself.<em>

_In one universe (or should I say multiverse? These things are hard to keep straight), he and the friends he acquired opened it, and he became the rightful Overlord of the school, defeating the Super Hero that had killed his father in the process._

_In another, he wasn't as successful, succumbing to his inner darkness and destroying the entire universe, as well as some neighboring ones. After this, he found himself floating for all eternity in darkness, taunted by his darkest self and slowly going insane. Outside of his little world, shrouded in darkness, the universe rebuilt itself, with the help of the Lifemaker, the Entity and a young girl called Hope, some of the few survivors from the original universe._

_However, the Lifemaker had plans for this new universe, and Hope, realizing this, decided to set in motion a plan to counteract the Lifemaker's…_

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><p>It was dark. Then again, it was always dark. He had grown used to it, so used to it that he was starting to forget the last time he saw light, even what light looked like.<p>

He floated in an abyss of darkness, with nothing to keep him company but his fading memories, his dark self's taunting voice and the voices of those who he had killed, especially the people that he once personally knew. If it weren't for his dark side, he'd have forgotten their names already, though he certainly tried never to forget the ones he knew. How would they react if they saw him now, floating helplessly in the darkness and going slowly insane? Would they laugh at him and tell him that he deserved it for all he'd done? Certainly, they wouldn't hug him and tell him he was going to be okay.

No one did that for the villain, after all.

Sometimes, when he couldn't hear his darker side taunting and mocking him, he'd remember. His memory wasn't the best—he had spent an untold amount of time in this abyss, after all—but he remembered the moments before then, before he unleashed death upon the universe.

Some moments were ironic. He hated irony. It reminded him far too much of all the things that had happened, something he didn't want when he delved into his memories.

How long had it been, anyway, since he killed everything? He couldn't quite remember—time had no meaning in the abyss, and he measured days by how long his dark side taunted him, and nights by how long he could rest and remember. It wasn't a very reliable system, but it was all he had to work from. From that, he was quite sure that at least three centuries had passed. It was a surprise to him that he hadn't gone insane already.

…Three centuries was an awfully long time to be floating in an abyss.

"Well, what do you know, we finally found you," somebody drawled, and he realized that someone was _there_—but it wasn't anyone from his memories, fuzzy as they were. He could recognize a voice, and this was one he didn't recognize. "Know how long it's been?"

"…Three centuries?" he guessed.

There was a laugh—dark, evil, sinister, not unlike the laugh his evil side possessed. "Wrong!" the voice responded. "It's been two millennia and three years since you blew up the universe! Nice job, by the way. Couldn't have done it better myself."

"Who are you?" he demanded, trying to keep the shock from creeping into his tone and failing at it.

"Open your eyes, dumbass," the voice ordered him.

He didn't know he had closed his eyes, but they fluttered open, and he saw…darkness. And, impossibly, standing right in front of him was a cocky young man with grey hair and unnatural blue eyes.

"…Who are you?" he repeated. "I know I've never seen you before."

"That's understandable, really," the man replied, smirking. "You've been floating in some abyss for what, 2003 years? I'll give you props for destroying the universe, but you couldn't even bust out of there without any help!"

Then the man pointed to himself. "And as for my name…I'm the maddest of the mad! Baddest of the bad! Master of Death! You can call me Gig."

He blinked, suddenly remembering something. "Hey, I know you!" he cried. "I've read about you before. Is it true that you were called Vigilance?"

Gig flinched in reply. "So? That's bullshit, Science Pervert."

"On the contrary," a feminine voice interrupted, "it's true. Gig, I'll handle this."

"See? She gets it!" he cried, then paled. "Oh, great, she's here."

He turned, and found a young woman in black—black clothes, black spiky hair, black ankh necklace, black…everything. The only thing that wasn't black was her skin, which was pale on the verge of being white. However, there was a kind smile on her face, unlike Gig's smirk, which was now replaced with a frustrated frown.

"You again?" he said. "What the hell is wrong with you? I thought we already agreed on this!"

"You're not exactly helping matters," the woman responded, then turned to him. "I'm Death of the Endless. It's nice to meet you."

"Wait a sec…" He glanced towards Gig, then at the woman who had just introduced herself as Death. "Did she just…but aren't you…what's going on?"

"Oh, yeah, you don't know," Gig realized. "See, after you destroyed the universe, it started over from scratch. Shit blew up, stuff went down, next thing anybody knows the second Big Bang's exploded and there's a bunch of Deaths all over the place. It gets hard to do your job when there's a shitload of other people saying it's their job as well."

He grinned cockily. "Not that I mind or anything. And like I said, congratulations on blowing up the universe."

"Gig," Death warningly told him, and he promptly shut up, much to his relief. "Basically, it's like he said: after you destroyed the universe, it restarted itself, but not without some help from the Lifemaker, the Entity and Hope herself."

"Hope?" he asked, trying to recall where he had heard that name before.

"A while before you destroyed the universe, a young girl defied destiny and became the personification of hope," she explained. "She still acts like a kid sometimes, but trust me—she's one of the most powerful beings in the universe. After all, she was the one who helped find you."

"But…why?" he asked again. "Why were you looking for me?"

And it was here that Gig interrupted again, saying, "You know the Lifemaker, right? Turns out he's not exactly benevolent or anything, kick-started the universe again because he had some plans up his sleeve just for it, and they ain't pretty little rainbows and puppies. Some weird-ass Oracle back in the second Ancient Greece—I think her name's Catherine or something?"

"Cassandra," Death patiently corrected. "And she's not weird, she was cursed. She prophesied that, and I quote, 'the one who destroyed the universe shall save it from one of its creators'. I know both Hope and the Entity far too well to suspect them, which leaves…"

"The Lifemaker," he guessed.

"Because of him, the universe is going to end—again—in about a year or so," Gig muttered. "I knew he was a sick bastard."

"You shouldn't call him that, Gig-san!" a younger, female voice admonished him, and to his surprise, a young girl with pink hair and an elaborate dress straight out of a mahou shoujo series marched in, a staff in her hand. "No matter how mean he is, he's still a person! And…and people have feelings, so you can't just call him that!"

Gig's palm met his face, something which the other three diligently ignored. "Dammit…"

"Let me guess," he said. "You're the Hope I've heard so much about."

The girl waved her hand dismissively. "Ah, thanks," she replied, a smile on her face, "but just call me Madoka. I'm used to that name more than I am to being called Hope."

"Why the hell do this things always happen to me? It's got to be hanging around that kid and her ditzy friend for so long, isn't it? Isn't it?" Gig was muttering to himself. He wondered, idly, exactly what the Master of Death was talking about. "Dammit…"

…_The hell's this?_

"Hotpods. That's what I need. Once I'm done with this, I am going to go and buy some more hotpods. Maybe wash it all down with a beer…"

…_Okay, spill. What the hell did you do to attract the attention of the Master of Death, some weird girl, and the personification of hope itself?_

He…honestly had no idea. It had something to do with some prophecy about saving the universe from one of its creators.

"Mmm…delicious hotpods." Gig was licking his lips at the prospect of eating…whatever these hotpods were. "I'm coming for you…"

"Did you explain everything to him already, Death-sama?" Hope—no, Madoka asked.

"Mostly," Death answered. "There's still a lot of things to run over, but he knows the basics."

Madoka nodded, then turned towards him. "Hey…Mao-san, right?"

He blinked at her. That…that was his name, wasn't it? How did she know his name? He himself was on the verge of forgetting it, had almost forgotten it when they came along.

"Y-Yeah," he managed to say, not quite over the shock.

"I have to tell you something," she began. "This prophecy—you're free to either fulfill it or go against it. If you want to die, I'll understand. I'll ask Death-sama to take you to her realm, or Gig-san to take you to reincarnate. You won't have to worry about the prophecy or the universe ending. But…"

She took a deep breath. "If you want, you can fulfill the prophecy and save the universe. But there's a price—I can't send you to where you have to be without taking your power and memories away. It's how the universe works. You have to sacrifice something to save it. You'll get them back over time, don't worry, but you'll start out with nothing."

"Basically, get level grinding," Gig translated. "There's no easy way out of it, no cheat codes to achieve Level 9999 at once. Trust me, someone tried it once. It was not pretty, but I got a sweet lifetime supply of hotpods out of it."

_Do you really want that to happen? I know how valuable your memories are to you,_ his dark side hissed. _And if you accept, you'll have to grind your levels back up. There's no cheat code, just grind, grind, grind. Do you really want that?_

"Shut up, me," he muttered to himself, ignoring the strange looks he got. "What else?"

"So I have to ask of you," Madoka concluded, "will you be my champion, Mao-san? I don't have anything I can give to you as a reward, but I will be there if you need me. I can't give you any awesome powers, but I can give you a second chance. It sounds clichéd, I know, but it's all I can give you."

_And no awesome powers, either. You should just give up and die._

"Not going to die," he replied, earning another round of strange looks. "Fine. I'll be your champion—but only if I can get some sort of physical reward after this."

"Idiot," Gig grumbled.

Death raised an eyebrow in concern, already realizing the implications of those words. "You could rephrase that," she pointed out.

Madoka only shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it, Death-sama," she assured her. "He's accepted. That's enough for me." She held out her hand. "Take my hand, Mao-san."

He hesitated. _Don't take it,_ his darker self whispered. _Do you want to go through so much pain just to champion her?_

_Take it,_ another voice—one he hadn't heard in a long while—countered, its tone childish yet at the same time wise. _You'll have another chance, a shot at making things right._

_Aren't you dead? I'm damn sure I finished you off myself!_ His darker self started cursing at the new voice.

_For a while. I got better._

"Shut up, me," he muttered, earning himself strange looks from the other three (though Gig's was that of sympathy, like he had gone through this before and understood exactly what was going on) again. He sighed, then took her hand.

"Good luck, Mao," Death said, her kind smile still on her face.

"Blah, blah, yeah, yeah, good luck to you too," Gig dismissively said, waving his hand and sounding bored. "Now if you'll excuse me, I hear someone calling."

"Thank you, Mao-san," Madoka gratefully told him, then closed her eyes. When she next spoke, her voice was charged with power.

"I am the fire who blazes through the bleakness of despair, the one who encompasses the universe. I am the candle who lights your way in the darkness of the night. I am the harbinger of justice, the bringer of peace and one of the universe's creators. When someone calls out for me, I come to their aid. I have raised many warriors, led many to victory and triumph over their enemies. I am she who gives the strength to defy the destiny laid out for you. And I name you, Mao-san, as my champion. I ask of you, please save this universe, and all we have built over the past two thousand and three years." Her voice reverted to its usual childish tone when she added, "And, um, please be okay when you land!"

"When I—"

He was cut off by an explosion of white light, and saw nothing more.

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><p><em><span>NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!<span>_

Flonne: The hero is finally here!

Mao: Damn straight. Wait, hero?

Flonne: Rising from the ashes like a phoenix, wielding the blessing of Hope herself, Flonne, the Magical Angel of Love, Justice and Hope, punishes evildoers in the name of love!

Mao: What the hell? Can't you read?

Flonne: To spread the message of love and peace throughout the universe, to thwart all those who seek to do evil, that is her everlasting mission!

Mao: Didn't you die? I thought the ending this fic is based off of meant you were dead!

Flonne: Not even death can stop her! The power of love is all-encompassing! It conquers all that stands in its way!

Mao: That's impossible! Not even love could cheat death…could it? (huff, huff, drool) I'll capture and dissect you…

Flonne: Magical Angel, Lovely Flonne! Episode 1: "Love Conquers All"!

Mao: So much potential…if I could only learn exactly _what_ powers this _love_ mechanism, I'd be all-powerful! Muhahahaha!

Laharl: …Great, I'm dead. I demand a rewrite! I'm the original main character, you can't just kill me off-screen! It's in my contract!

Mao: Muhahaha! And yet I did!

Negi: …Is this normal?

Almaz: Trust me, Negi, it is. I think you'd better get used to it.

Etna: WHO STOLE MY PREVIEW?

Almaz: Yep, completely normal.

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><p><em><strong>Yes, that's Kaname Madoka from Puella Magi Madoka Magica up there. Originally, she wasn't supposed to be in the story—it was just Mao, Death and Gig. Then I remembered something I had read about her, which said, and these are major spoilers here, people, that she had become the personification of hope itself at the end of the series. Now, since the title of the fic was "Presence of Hope", I had to put her in. Please tell me if I wrote her well, because I haven't watched Puella Magi Madoka Magica yet, but am planning to!<strong>_

_**And as for Mao becoming her champion? Blame that on 2 millennia and 3 years of solitude. He'd do anything to get out of there, but at the same time, I think he still wants to live, despite living for a long time now. His choice enables him to do that, at the cost of his memories and his powers. At this point, though, I don't really think he cares about that anymore. But don't worry, I'll try my best to make sure he's still the same perverted mad scientist we all know and love. Or tolerate.  
><strong>_

_**And yes, the Entity is the same one as in DC Comics. Whether this means a bunch of your favorite superheroes and civilians died in the blast caused by Mao's epic universe-destroying rage or not, I leave up to you.  
><strong>_

_**And the real identity of the Lifemaker? I think it's probably obvious, but if it isn't, yay for me! I actually managed not to give something away!**_

_**And yes, that's Gig from Soul Nomad and the World Eaters, and Death from the Sandman, working together. Basically, my idea is that Gig takes people to be reincarnated (although occasionally he's called on to escort demons to…wherever awaits them when they die) and that Death is there to escort people to her realm, where they stay. It's a good arrangement: Gig gets to slack off and eat all the hotpods he wants while dumping the non-demons on Death, who doesn't really mind. The other Deaths are just around to help out if they're far too busy (or if Gig is feeling extra lazy).  
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_**Please read and review!**_


	2. Episode 1: Mahora Academy

_**Oh, look, it's the first chapter already! Aw, yeah.**_

_**I don't have much to say for the first chapter right now. See, I write stories like this: beginning author's notes story closing author's notes. And as I tend to write based off of my current ideas…yeah, that explains it.**_

_**I will, however, say this: Mao's arrival is timed some time before the Kyoto arc, yet after Negi becomes Evangeline's apprentice. This means that Konoka has very limited knowledge of magic and that Negi has only Pactio'd with Asuna. Plus, he doesn't really miss much, either.**_

_**And to my anonymous reviewer: Thank you! Your words fill me with so much happiness, like you couldn't even think about. I'm glad I managed to write Madoka right, too! And…well, basically? Before getting sent to Mahora, he sorta did, but the memories were too fuzzy. After getting sent to Mahora, he won't be able to remember them much. What can I say, I like torturing him.**_

_**To cooking samurai: Well…the destruction of the Netherworld, as well as some other worlds, meant the creatable demons were destroyed as well, which means they can't exactly come help. And don't worry about not finishing the manga yet—you've got a lot of people who sympathize with you, me in particular.**_

_**So! On to the story, then.**_

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><p><strong>Disgaea: Presence of Hope<strong>

_Episode 1: Mahora Academy_

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><p>It was a few days before the school's "Free Time Day". School had been out for a few hours, and the crowds of students catching up with their friends were milling around the World Tree Plaza. So caught up were they in their chatting that they didn't notice the strange-looking young boy unconscious on the ground beside the World Tree, groaning intermittently.<p>

Konoe Konoka, for her part, was alone. Oh, sure, she had chatted with a few people, but they had all gone off to catch up with their other friends. She didn't really mind, though. Today, she was in a mood to think.

She leaned against the World Tree, thinking of Setsuna. Did she remember the days when they were younger, when they played together for hours, not minding the world around them? She remembered, as clear as day, the moments they shared together, the secret smiles exchanged with each other.

"Secchan," she murmured.

_And at the same time, she remembered the perpetual blush that seemed to be stuck on his face, and—_

"Where did that one come from?" she idly wondered.

"Mrrrgh…" someone groaned, catching the young girl's attention. She turned her head towards the source of the sound and gasped.

There was a young boy, lying unconscious on the ground beside her. Blood trickled down his forehead in a steady flow, and when she came nearer and checked his temperature, she realized he felt…hot. Burning hot.

"Help!" she yelled. "Someone help! I need help!"

"Is something wrong, Konoka-san?" Negi asked, walking up to her. Beside him was Asuna, who was grumbling about being kept in to improve her test scores. He took a step back upon seeing the young boy that Konoka was cradling in her arms. "Oh, no…"

Konoka looked pleadingly up at Negi and Asuna. "Please help me!" she cried. "I don't think I can carry him to the clinic alone…"

"A-Ah…"

Asuna shook her head. "I heard the clinic's closed for the day," she recalled. "The nurse took her annual day off. I'd say she's earned it, considering what happened with Haruka-kohai yesterday…"

Negi, Asuna and Konoka shivered at the memory of the young girl in a Playboy bunny outfit, juggling coconuts while riding a unicycle, blindfolded, right before crashing into the clinic and traumatizing the poor nurse for life.

"Let's not mention that…" Negi requested. "So what should we do?"

Konoka knitted her eyebrows together. "Hmm…we should take him to our dorm!" she exclaimed.

"Absolutely not!" Asuna yelled. "We already have Negi-kun rooming with us. I don't want anybody else sharing a dorm with us! Who knows what he'll do to us in our sleep!"

"Guh…" the boy moaned.

Chamo started whistling innocently.

Negi massaged his temples. "Um…maybe we could take him in for a while," he suggested. "Then, we should ask the Dean where we could put him."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Konoka remarked. "What do you say, Asuna?"

"Ugh…fine." She sighed. "But only for a while!"

"Urgh…"

"Well, come on, then! Asuna-san, you take the head. Konoka-san and I will take the legs. Let's not waste time!"

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><p>"…<em>oops."<em>

"_Oh, yay, you gave him a concussion."_

"_G-Gig-san! What are you doing here?"_

"_I was bored. Also, I wanted to see how that creepy scientist pervert was coming along."_

"_Um…well, I think I put too much power into the portal."_

"_You think."_

"_Um…yeah?"_

"…_Dammit. And what else did you give him, a fever? Great job there, stupid ribbons. You gave your own champion, the one-time destroyer and now would-be savior of the universe, a concussion and a case of fever, and that's not even mentioning the amnesia thing."_

"_I-I didn't mean it! It was a side effect of losing all his power and his memories at once. And don't you ever call anyone by their real name?"_

"_Give me one damn good reason as to why I should."_

"_Um…um…then I'll call you Meanie-san!"_

"…_Gods-dammit. And you're supposed to be the personification of hope itself. With the mad scientist you picked out as a champion, we're all doomed."_

"_Have a little faith in Mao-san, all right, Meanie-san? I know he can do it."_

"_It's Gig!"_

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><p>In his prison, the Lifemaker felt a new presence, a familiar one, enter the school.<p>

He saw a young boy, bleeding from his forehead, lifted and carried to a dorm room by three people—the son of the mage he so despised, the Twilight Princess, and the girl with unimaginable power.

As he watched, he realized that he would have to adjust his plans.

But, that was fine. He could wait.

In the meantime, he watched, and plotted his next moves.

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><p>It was two hours after Konoka, Negi and Asuna carried the unconscious young boy to their dorm room, and 30 minutes since Negi and Asuna went off to buy supplies and notify the staff about their new situation. Konoka didn't really mind it—as far as she was concerned, she wasn't really alone, and besides, someone had to take care of the new guest, who was now sleeping in her bed.<p>

Also, who would tape the new "Super Sentai All-Stars: Cry of the Devil Prince" movie for those two? She couldn't quite see the appeal that it seemed to hold for Negi and Asuna, but some part of her absolutely loved seeing the monsters getting clobbered.

She was dipping a towel into a bowl of ice-cold water when she heard a groan from her bed.

"Ah, you're awake!" she exclaimed, turning to see the young boy sitting up. "I was worried about you."

"Huh…?" the boy uttered blearily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Where am I?"

"My dorm room," she replied, wringing out the water from the towel. "We found you under the World Tree and got you here, actually."

"What happened to me?" he asked.

"Well, when I saw you," she began, "you were bleeding from your forehead, and you had a pretty high fever too. So I asked Negi-kun and Asuna to help me carry you here, and here we are. Do you feel any better?"

He looked down at himself, apparently realizing, just now, that his head had been bandaged up and that he had no shirt on. "Perhaps," he finally said.

She only sighed, then stood up. "Okay, sit still," she ordered him, perhaps more forcefully than she wanted to.

The boy froze up, then twitched. "Stay away from me!" he snapped.

"This is for your own good!"

"What the hell is wrong with you? I can put that to my head just fine!"

"Just fine, my foot! You still have a fever! Now _stay still_!"

It took twenty minutes and an unprecedented amount of destruction, but she finally managed to put the towel on top of the boy's forehead.

"I finally did it," she gasped, then collapsed to her knees. "You're so frustrating!"

The boy glared at her, then sighed, turning away from her. "You too," he grumbled. "You remind me of somebody, but I can't remember who."

Silence passed between them, during which Konoka returned to watching the movie.

"…What's that?" the boy asked.

"It's something called Super Sentai," she replied. "From what Asuna told me, it's about someone called the Devil Prince who tries his hardest to keep being evil, but falls in love with one of the Super Sentai. It's really sad."

"Yeah…" he softly echoed, before his voice took on a harsher tone. "Hmph. He shouldn't have fallen in love in the first place, then."

"Why not?" she asked. "Love is…well, it's hard to describe. But it can redeem anyone, if they really love somebody. The opposite is true as well, though."

"So this 'love' is so powerful that it can do anything?" he asked, sounding very interested. "I wonder…"

"No, you will not experiment on anyone on my watch," Konoka automatically answered, then blinked. "What did I just say?"

The boy froze, then twitched. "Dammit, why do you cut off my fun before I've even started?" he complained. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Konoka leapt to her feet. "I am Konoe Konoka!" she cried, a grin on her face. "Daughter of the Dean of this school! Soon to be lover of Secchan!"

Somewhere in Mahora, Sakurazaki Setsuna suddenly found herself having to stem a sudden flow of blood from her nose.

Back in the dorm room, the young boy blinked at her, then, less enthusiastically and with some hesitation, replied, "I'm Mao. And I…don't remember."

"You don't?" she gasped, then, with renewed determination, pumped her fist into the air. "Then I, Konoe Konoka, will help you remember, Mao-han! I swear this, on my honor as a daughter of the Konoe clan and a student of Mahora Academy! You will remember your past!"

"…Who the hell is Secchan, anyway?" he asked. "Don't tell me you're one of those yuri girlies!"

Suddenly, Konoka was thrust into a beautiful erotic fantasy, where she was wearing only an apron to cover her…parts, and Secchan, her sweet angel, was slowly removing it with a sexual smile on her face—

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: Due to the…rather erotic nature of Konoka's daydream (and her subsequent description of Setsuna to Mao), I have removed it from this fic. Please enjoy this lovely scene of Mao, Valvatorez, Adell and Laharl trying to kill each other through overkill instead, at least until said erotic fantasy runs its course and this fic is no longer in danger of pushing its T rating.<strong>

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><p>Mao visibly paled, shaking with every sappy (and far too descriptive, at least for him) word. Konoka paid it no heed, instead going on and on about how beautiful, gentle, kind and sweet Setsuna used to be, when they were children.<p>

"…and whenever I got hurt she would pick me up and carry me back to my room—"

There was a sudden thud, an indication that Mao had collapsed upon the bed again.

"Mao-han? Huh, I guess he felt sleepy."

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><p>"<em>...Ah, here you are!"<em>

_Mao blinked, then turned around, realizing that this wasn't the dorm room in which he was staying._

_For one thing, he knew that large vaults resembling a heart wrapped in dark, rusted chains could not possibly fit in Konoka's dorm room. Also, the dorm room was small and rather simplistic, which didn't seem to fit with the magnificent-looking (yet at the same time completely devastated) crystal wasteland he was in now. For another, he couldn't recall seeing the tiny pink-haired girl in an elaborate dress in front of him before. Or the smaller, greenish white-haired kid bearing his appearance as well, only he was carrying a large staff, like the girl._

_Then again, he couldn't really recall anything, besides his name. That, he could remember with amazing clarity._

_He decided he must've hated irony._

"_What do you want?" he asked._

"_Sorry about the concussion and fever, Mao-san," the girl apologized, and he flinched._

"_You gave me that?" he almost yelled. "Do you realize how much pain I went through, trying to get away from that yuri-girlie?"_

_The smaller boy beside the young girl winced in sympathy. "I hear you," he murmured._

_The girl, on the other hand, blinked innocently at him. "Yuri-girlie?"_

"_I'm not telling you," he grumbled._

"_Well, anyway, we're getting off-topic here!" the girl declared. "I'm really, truly sorry about the fever, concussion and amnesia—I didn't think you'd get the first two. But nevertheless…"_

_She drew herself up to her full height, which wasn't very tall, and put on a determined expression. "If you ever need my help, Mao-san," she assured him, "I will come, and I will try my best to help you."_

"_And I," the boy added, "will do my best to guide you."_

"_That's nice," he muttered, "but that doesn't explain what this is."_

"_This," the boy replied, gesturing towards their surroundings, "is your heart."_

"_My what?" he asked, confused._

"_His what?" the girl echoed. "True Heart-san...what do you mean?"_

"_I thought I already explained the concept to you, Madoka," the young boy responded, sounding very exasperated. "I suppose I have no choice, though."_

_He started walking, speaking and gesturing all the while. "Mao, you are a demon."_

"_Well, that explains it," Mao muttered to himself, earning a strange look from Madoka and a "Please shut up, I'm talking" glare from the boy. "Oh, don't mind the amnesiac demon here," he sarcastically replied. "I'm listening."_

_Which was sort of a lie, but the glare the boy threw him intensified, forcing him to listen to his next words. "And something that many demons, if not every one of them, share in common is that their hearts often manifest outside of their bodies, inside something called the Heart Bank."_

"_But the Heart Bank disappeared when Mao-san destroyed his universe, with some other neighboring universes, right?" Madoka interrupted. "So…Mao-san can only access his heart within dreams?"_

"_So you were listening to that part," the boy wryly observed. "That is partly true, but I have yet to learn exactly what the other methods are. So, yes, he can only do so within dreams."_

"_At least that's better than…that." The two shivered together, knowing exactly what he was talking about._

"_Indeed."_

"_What's 'that'?" Madoka questioned._

"_You do not want to know," they simultaneously responded._

"_Anyway, before I got sidetracked…" The boy cleared his throat. "The heart reflects who you are, the state of your feelings. It's also where you keep your feelings and secrets, not to be revealed unless you so wish it to. The Heart Bank," and here he gestured towards the massive heart-shaped vault wrapped in chains behind them, "was a place where demons could take advantage of that. You could store the secrets and feelings you most wanted to keep hidden into the vault, and after that, you could commit evil deeds without remorse."_

"_And Mao-san," Madoka realized, "was the one with the most secrets."_

_The boy nodded. "That's right."_

_Mao himself looked up at the vault. "And that," he realized, "led to the destruction of the universe, didn't it?"_

_From the strange look Madoka gave him, he sighed. "I heard you earlier," he simply replied, as if that explained everything._

_The boy silently nodded. "Indirectly, but yes. It, or rather, your succumbing to your darkness, did."_

"_I…" He trailed off, unable to complete his sentence._

"…_regret it," the boy completed. "I am your True Heart, Mao. I have only returned in recent times, but I feel it."_

"_Mao-san…" Madoka finally said, her voice filled with conviction. "I don't regret making you my champion. And like I said before, I will aid you when you are in need of it. Don't even think about trying to deny it. I will come help you. Just call for me, and I'll be there."_

"_It's time to wake up," his True Heart told him. "Just be careful."_

* * *

><p>And he woke up.<p>

"Ah, you're awake!" a young boy greeted him, a bright smile on his face. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Negi Springfield."

He groggily sat up, to find that Konoka was nowhere in sight. "Where's Konoka?" he asked.

"Konoka-san went to buy something," Negi replied, placing a hand on his forehead. "Asuna-san went to accompany her, I assured her I would be fine with you. Hey, you don't have a fever anymore!"

"Good news," Mao muttered. "The first I've heard in a while."

"Anyway," Negi continued, "um..."

"Any salt and pepper?" he cut in. "If you're going to cook sunny-side-up eggs, then I want salt and pepper. If you're one of those hot sauce lovers, I'll kill you. Then stuff your soul into a cyborg body. And kill that one too."

"But I'm not going to cook..." the poor boy weakly replied. "I can't."

He got off the bed, shooting Negi a glare. "If you can't cook, I'll just get somebody who can. Did I have a shirt when I was carried here?"

"Yeah, it's on the table_—_Mao-san, I don't think it's wise for you to go outside just yet..."

"Why not?" Mao asked, tugging his shirt on. "You said it yourself. I don't have a fever anymore, so why should I worry?"

"Well," Negi answered, standing up, "there's always the possibility of it coming back. Stay here, I'll go order."

That was...tempting, actually, but he wanted to do it himself. Besides, there was a 68.42% possibility that someone would probably order hot sauce to go with his eggs if he didn't come along, and he was not going to have that happening.

Negi seemed about to protest, but then he yawned. Rather loudly, at that.

"It's 5 in the afternoon," Mao remarked. "What's made you so sleepy? Could it be some sort of—"

Negi shook his head before he could finish. "No, I just...didn't get enough sleep last night," he answered. "Don't worry!"

Mao filed that away, doubting he didn't get much sleep last night. For one, he could see two round holes on Negi's arm, like he had been pricked by a needle twice over. They weren't obvious, but he could tell they were there, somehow. He would have to ask him about that later, once he was done getting the food.

He was just about to leave when he realized he had almost forgotten something. He darted back to the table, then put on the jacket before glancing at himself in the mirror.

_Something doesn't feel right..._

Suddenly, a lightbulb went on over his head (not literally, of course). He fastened the chain so that the collar encircled his neck, then took his arms out of the sleeves.

"Much better," he remarked, grinning as he stepped out.

* * *

><p><em><span>NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!<span>_

Asuna: When the darkness falls over this world, who you gonna call?

Negi: GHOSTBUSTERS!

Mao: Not another one…

Asuna: The evil demon Dean of the destroyed Evil Academy, Mao, has come to take over Mahora Academy for his own nefarious purposes!

Mao: I told you. Pay up.

Laharl: Dammit…

Asuna: Using his evil charm and skills, he enslaves the student population and brainwashes the teachers into serving him!

Almaz: And the scary part is, it's not that far off!

Asuna: Is there any hope left for Mahora? Who can come save them from the clutches of this evil mad scientist?

Mao: No one! I'll turn them all into cyborgs that can obey only my orders! Let's see…missile launchers for fingers, shoot laser beams from your eyes, rockets for feet, bazookas for breasts...this school has so many specimens it's impossible to choose! (huff, huff, drool) Perhaps I'll start with this class…

Negi: Don't. Even. Think. About. It.

Asuna: Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a paper fan comes spinning out of the air, striking the evil Dean and draining his powers! Could it be…?

Mao: Wait, what?

Laharl: Ha! Serves you right, not saving any for me.

Mao: Of course I wouldn't! With a few exceptions, they're all far too interesting for me to spare any for you! And the exceptions, I'm putting to work as my slaves.

Asuna: Yes, it is! Kagurazaka Asuna, heroine of many and magic-cancelling Twilight Ranger, has come to save Mahora!

Mao: It couldn't be the Prism Rangers. At least they're easily defeated. Oh, no, it had to be the one that cancels magic.

Almaz: They're kinda sad once you think about it, though.

Asuna: With graceful style and expert dodging, Asuna counters all of Mao's moves, and with one devastating blow of her fan, banishes Mao to the abyss from whence he came, saving Mahora!

Mao: Can we not mention that?

Laharl: What, the abyss?

Mao: I thought I specifically told you not to mention that!

Asuna: But there's still a problem! Apparently, Mao's long-lost lover, dead for many years, has been reincarnated into one of Asuna's friends! Who's the one, though? And is the demonic Dean making a comeback?

Mao: _I DON'T HAVE A LOVER!_

Negi: (sniffle) That's…that's so sad! You lost the one you loved…

Mao: How many times do I have to tell you, I don't have a lover! That's just…ugh! The very idea makes me sick!

Konoka: But I thought you wanted to know what love is…

Mao: I wanted to know what it is, not experience it.

Asuna: All this and more, on the next episode of Kagurazaka: The Great Twilight Defender of Mahora! Episode 2: "A Demonic Love Song?" In the name of Mahora and Takahata-sensei in particular, I will punish you!

Laharl: Either she's been hanging out around Flonne for way too long…

Mao: …Or she's been watching too much Sailor Moon.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Oh my god, this was a behemoth. This chapter was hard to get out, actually, but I think I managed just fine. The brief little memory in Konoka's segment is…well, if I say too much I'll give it away, but let's just say that all of the people in 3-A are not who they think they are. Or at least, they weren't, and Konoka is among them. To reflect that, I've changed their personality traits a bit, to show that a part of who they were before has carried over into who they are now.<strong>_

_**Chamo…didn't really play a big part. It's just that I tend to ignore him, which isn't really fair to the poor guy, even if he's an ermine pervert. I mean, who else can set up pactio circles? Negi? And yes, this part was influenced by the All-Purpose Negima Idea Thread.**_

"_**Super Sentai All-Stars: Cry of the Devil Prince" is not real, just so you know. However, it is a bit of a rip-off of Mao's backstory, as well as some of the things Laharl went through. Not that the creators themselves know, but I'm pretty sure once Mao regains his memories, he will not be pleased at how similar the Devil Prince is to him.**_

_**And, I may as well say it, but Raspberyl shares a VA with someone else in Negi's class. I'll leave it up to you to decide who it is, but she's definitely a blonde. Happy coincidence, since Beryl's not only going to share a VA with said girl, but a body as well! Might as well take advantage.**_

_**And the dream thing? Yeah, that was to introduce people who are new to Disgaea to the concept. Just in case somebody ignored the spoiler warnings, anyway. Also, it was to establish the state of his heart, sorta. You'll notice that I said it was completely devastated. What can I say, Human World ending is depressing for the viewer and for the characters.**_

_**The "yuri-girlie" nickname that Mao has bestowed upon Konoka is taken from the other, much more awesome fic, Disgaea: Gehenna's Holy Queen. And no, he's not about to give up anytime soon. (Just be glad it wasn't Gig. He would've called her something worse.)**_

_**Asuna and Negi liking Super Sentai? Chalk that up to something their past lives liked to do. I'm not saying anything more than that, but if you guessed it from just that little tidbit, then congratulations! You're smart, or I just gave it away.**_

_**As always, read and review! Flames will be killed by Vasa Aergun before what's left of them is finished off with Infinite Graves. I won't do the same to constructive criticism, though! Just tell me where I need to improve. Chances are, it's a lot.  
><strong>_


	3. Episode 2: This Is Mahora

_**Hey, 9 reviews already! That's nine more than I expected this fic would get. Yay for me!**_

_**Anyway, time to answer the reviews.**_

_**To Rc1212: Thank you so much for the warm words! I'm glad Konoka made you crack up and that I can write Madoka well, I was so worried about them.**_

_**To cooking samurai: Hey, don't worry, everyone has to learn sometime! And as for what might happen to Mao…well, all you have to do is to read on.**_

_**To TheFireDiamond: Wait, I really did? Thanks! And yeah, I cried when Almaz died. And when Beryl was killed I think I just broke. Aurum deserved what was coming to him. And as for True Heart…well, he remembers some things, but the personal stuff escapes him and Mao, save for the whole "I destroyed the universe" thing. And I couldn't just let Gig get killed. He's the most awesome character Nippon Ichi has ever created!**_

_**To The Ansem Man: Thank you so much for the kind words! And I will try my best not to disappoint.**_

_**To DiLost: You have a point, but Mao did destroy the universe. Who's to say he didn't destroy some other neighboring universes?**_

_**To marze09: Your wish is my command.**_

_**To Zdood: …I knew I forgot something. Thanks for pointing it out!**_

_**Also, some timeline notes: I know I said this was before the Kyoto arc. However, I never said it was set a little while before Chapter 26!**_

_**On to the story!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Disgaea: Presence of Hope<strong>

_Episode 2: This Is Mahora_

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, Mao got lost.<p>

Perhaps it was because of the fact that Mahora Academy was a labyrinth, even beyond what he expected. Among other things, he saw that there was a fairly popular coffee shop on campus, as well as a grocery store and a fully-fledged concert hall. And other such things, as well.

No, seriously.

As a result, he found himself buying not only sunny-side-up eggs with salt and pepper, but also a teetering stack of comic books from the bookshop, a used PSP and a laptop from the used goods store and a lesser, but still teetering stack of other books.

As expected, it cost him a lot, but the unexpectedly large amount of money he found in his pockets helped. The bad news was that he came away from his little spree about three million yen or so short, and still as lost as he could ever get.

"Dammit," he grumbled. "Now, where the hell am I?"

He looked up…and up…and up…and up, staring at the giant robot.

A small trickle of drool flowed down his chin.

"Hey, look!" someone remarked. "It's Hakase-sama!"

A young, nerdy-looking girl poked her head out from the cockpit, a megaphone in hand. "Can everyone please get out of the way?" she yelled. "I need to test this new robot!"

"Interesting…" Mao murmured, wiping the drool away with the back of his hand. "Well, it's settled, then! I'm taking this giant robot!"

Somehow, the girl had heard him from the cockpit, as she turned her megaphone on him and yelled, "Like hell am I letting you!"

* * *

><p>About fifteen minutes later, he and Satomi were discussing science with each other as they stomped around the campus in the cockpit of a giant robot. Thankfully, they had managed to clear out a route where they could safely do so without worrying about civilian casualties.<p>

"Impressive," Mao remarked. "I still say it can be improved if we add bazookas to its arsenal, though! That way, we can completely massacre anyone who stands in our way!"

Satomi sweatdropped, wondering exactly what had this strange boy been reading. "Perhaps, but this robot wasn't made for that purpose," she finally said. "I had an entirely different reason for making it than to have it brutally defeat all in its way."

Mao snorted derisively in reply. "A robot as impressive as this, and you're not going to use it to do what it's supposed to do?" he asked. "What kind of self-respecting mad scientist builds a giant robot for a purpose other than to have it beat its opponents into a bloody pulp?"

"The kind that's not allowed to do so unless it's authorized," Satomi answered. "I do make robots for battle, but an overly-large one like this might take up far too much of the battlefield."

"That's the point! You have to intimidate them somehow, and what better way than through a humongous mecha that could stomp them into the ground at any second?"

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere in Mahora Academy, Evangeline Athanasia Katherine McDowell, the Dark Evangel, the Queen of the Night, the Tidings of Evil, the Advent of Evil, the Visitation of Woe, the Puppet Master, the Ice-Cold Vampire Child, Maga Nosferatu herself, sneezed. Loudly.<em>

_"Someone's talking about me," she muttered to herself, but took no further heed of it._

* * *

><p>Satomi shrugged. "I see your point," she admitted, "but think about it. How would I be able to avoid my allies if I'm in a robot this big? I wouldn't be able to see them, first off, and I'd run the risk of stomping them into bits as well as my enemies, or perhaps even innocents."<p>

"Who cares about them?" Mao asked, and she saw his eyes briefly flash a sinister purple. "As long as you can make completely sure your enemies are dead, you don't have to worry about collateral damage."

"Mao-san," she said, using his name for the first time since they met, her tone completely serious. "If 'collateral damage' includes taking lives, I would rather use this robot for heavy lifting."

"But—"

"No buts," she cut him off, then sighed. "Mao-san, I liked talking with you. It's been a while since I could discuss issues like this with somebody outside of the Engineering Club or someone who isn't Yue-san. Negi-sensei is…well, despite his intelligence, he's still only a kid."

Mao's expression softened slightly. "Just a kid, huh…" he murmured.

"But," she continued, "I assure you, I could never take the lives of my allies or of innocents, just to show off the power of my inventions. Perhaps you should reflect on that."

"Since when did discussing giant robots lead to stuff about morality?" Mao asked, sounding rather exasperated by this. "Oh, look, there's a restaurant. Now, how do you get off?"

* * *

><p>It took a ladder and three attempts to get off the exterior of the giant robot (the last one with grease and a crowbar), but he finally managed to knock off the drooling and actually get on with the landing.<p>

"I'll see you around, Hakase!" he yelled after the giant robot as it stomped off into the distance.

A chubby young woman poked her head out of the restaurant, then blinked at him. Somehow, this managed to get his attention.

"Yeah, I think it's safe to come out," he told her. "So, what's this? Chao Bao Zi…what a strange name for a restaurant!"

The woman shrugged in reply, then came out from her hiding place.

'_It's nice to meet you,_' she greeted him, a smile on her face. '_Would you like some soup?_'

Mao blinked at her. Well, he did feel hungry…why not?

"So long as there's no hot sauce," he finally said.

The woman nodded in reply. '_One hot sauce-free soup, coming right up. Take a seat, it might take a while._'

* * *

><p>As it turned out, the soup was worth every second of the wait.<p>

"Mmm…"

'_So, how was it?_' the woman—he'd learned her name was Satsuki—asked.

"The flavor…it's sour, but has a hint of spice in it," he answered. "The texture is smooth, with just the right amount of creaminess as well! It practically explodes in my mouth!" He leapt to his feet. "There's no doubt about it! This is the Armageddon of Soupiness!"

'_I'm glad you liked it, Mao-san,_' Satsuki cheerily said. '_It's on the house this time, but I'll expect you to pay for subsequent meals._'

Strangely enough, he didn't really mind.

* * *

><p>"<em>Oh, hey, it's that girl."<em>

"_Who? Satsuki-san?"_

"_Yeah, her. Damn, she made good hotpods."_

"_You know her, Meanie-san?"_

"_It's Gig! And yeah, I did. Once. It involved some guy named Thor, a hammer, and a really shitty day. Tell you all about it when science pervert does save the universe."_

* * *

><p>Mao left Chao Bao Zi, feeling renewed and ready to get back to the dorms.<p>

He didn't expect to get lost in the labyrinth that was Mahora Academy _again._ Unfortunately, he did, and had wandered around for an hour or so before winding up at the World Tree Plaza.

_Dammit_, he thought, swearing under his breath. _Where the hell are those dorms again?_

"Hey!" someone called out, startling him in the middle of his thoughts. "What are you doing here? It's almost 6!"

He turned to find a young girl with bells in her hair, blinking at him. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice neutral. There was something strange about this girl…

"Hey, I know you," the girl remarked. "You're the kid we brought to our dorm. Feeling any better?" As she spoke, she leaned in, bringing up her hand to his forehead.

He quickly slapped the hand away. "Of course I am," he snapped. "I wouldn't be walking around if I wasn't!"

Honestly, though, he would've walked around even if he wasn't feeling any better, but he didn't mention that to the girl. He didn't see any need to.

"Well, jeez, some way to show appreciation for someone being concerned about you," the girl retorted, quickly drawing her hand back and glaring at him. "Didn't anyone teach you some manners, you little brat?"

"I don't care about that," he replied. "What matters is that you haven't answered my question yet. Who are you?"

"First tell me who are _you_," the girl responded.

"No, you first!"

"You go first."

Silence fell over the two of them as they glared at each other, both daring the other to blink and lose this impromptu glaring contest. Or at least it felt like a glaring contest to him.

For a moment, he thought he was going to win this for sure. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Negi Springfield riding on top of a large stick, and blinked out of confusion.

_What was that?_ he briefly wondered, only to be interrupted by the girl's yell of "I WON! _I WON! __**I WON!**_ Beat that!"

"Dammit, stop rubbing it in my face!" he yelled at her.

* * *

><p>It had been a long afternoon, and Mao was just about ready to drift off to sleep and forget all about the strange things that had happened that afternoon, when…<p>

"Mao-san!" Negi declared, startling him out of his half-asleep state. "Asuna-san and I talked to the principal a while ago, but you left before I could tell you."

"Tell me what?" he groggily asked.

"He says you should try staying in another room tomorrow," the younger boy told him. "And if you don't like it there, you can go to another room. Sounds good?"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, not really listening. "Sleepy. Go'way before I throw something at you."

And with that he buried his face in the pillow and snored away, ignoring any more of Negi's attempts to wake him up.

* * *

><p><em>A scream. That was what his dream started with.<em>

_No, wait, that wasn't quite right. It wasn't one scream, but many. It was the screams of those who never had a chance, the cries of the voices who would never be able to speak again._

_He was trapped in darkness, tormented by screaming and crying. Covering his ears wielded no success, so he was forced to endure,_

"_What's going on?" he asked._

"_What do you think?" a malicious voice answered._

_He froze. That was his own voice—yet, at the same time, it wasn't. His voice could never sound that cruel and sinister._

"_What's the matter? Can't recognize me? Aww, I'm hurt," the voice mocked. "Seems that girl did a more thorough job on you than she thought. I don't remember much either!"_

_He would have responded, and was about to do so when the source of the voice stepped into his view. Somehow, even in the darkness, he was able to see him clearly._

"_But you know what? That's fine," his lookalike remarked, sending chills down his spine. "You'll just be easier prey."_

_He grinned as screams echoed in his ears._

* * *

><p>"AGH!" he yelled, abruptly sitting up and breathing heavily, taking in his surroundings.<p>

A nightmare. That was all it was. He was still in their room, still at Mahora Academy. He wasn't trapped in darkness, thank…well, whatever was looking out for him.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. It was still dark, but he could hear a slight buzz of activity outside. Once his eyes had adjusted, he noticed that Asuna—the girl with bells in her hair—had left and that Negi was still fast asleep, while Konoka was muttering something about "first to…zzzz", which was somehow weirdly familiar to him. He couldn't quite place it.

"Damn," he muttered. "What the hell was that about?"

"_Lord Mao!" someone cried._

"Wha—" He looked around, startled, then realized that the voice was just that—a voice. "I'm never going to be able to sleep now," he muttered, then stepped off the bed, shaking his head to clear any sleep from it. "Might as well start the day, even if it is earlier than I expected."

Yet, he couldn't quite shake the familiarity of the voice. He was now sure it was some sort of memory, from a long time ago, but he had completely forgotten as to whom it belonged to. He also couldn't figure as to why it would suddenly push its way just now.

_Damn amnesia_, he thought, then glanced around.

Now, he hadn't been able to really take in the details of the dorm room before, but now that Konoka wasn't trying to push a wet towel onto him or he wasn't feeling far too sleepy to do so, he noticed, among other things, an ermine sleeping on a pile of panties and a strangely familiar-looking staff.

With a start, he realized that he _had_ seen that staff before. In fact, it was the very reason as to why he lost an impromptu glaring contest to Asuna yesterday.

"So it wasn't just me after all," he remarked, a smirk playing on his lips.

Negi had a lot of explaining to do once he got back from another little trip.

* * *

><p>Setsuna, in the meantime, found herself pacing back and forth outside of her room. Thankfully, her roommates were asleep, so they didn't notice her slipping out of the room.<p>

What was that strange dream about? She knew dreams could sometimes be weird (she had once been told of a dream that had, among other things, frogs made out of chocolate), but her dream had gone way past the point of weird. In fact, it seemed like a memory.

But…it wasn't any memory she knew about. Already, the details were fading, but she could recall a white-haired young boy, with a strange fascination with science that had him doing things that bordered on outright perverted. And…and there was a young woman, with long dirty white hair and neon green eyes that somehow reminded her of her Ojou-sama.

Except, well, Ojou-sama was never that violent, not even when she got mad.

She sighed.

This school was probably getting to her. She would've transferred out, were it not for her duty to Ojou-sama.

A brief image of her and her beloved walking down an aisle carpeted with red, both in snow white (though Ojou-sama had a more radiant glow to her, as opposed to Setsuna herself) popped up in her head, before being quickly beaten down with the logical, rational part of her mind.

No, she could never marry her. Her duty was limited to watching over her, keeping guard over her. She could not afford to distract herself from it with these thoughts. Besides, she had already grown out of her childish years, she didn't need it to make a return now.

"Ojou-sama, I shall protect you to the best of my ability," she murmured, refreshing her memory of the vow she made long ago. "I will protect you, even if it costs me everything. I will protect that pure, innocent smile until the day I may die, and may heaven help they who dare hurt you, for I will leave no stone unturned, no nook overlooked in my search for them. None shall be able to hurt you, not while I am around to protect you."

Her fingers closed on the hilt of her sword. "I will give everything for you, Konoka-ojou-sama."

* * *

><p>Mao blinked as he walked out of the dorms, looking up at the sky. He had the strangest feeling just now, like something important had happened.<p>

"What was that?" he wondered.

…hmph, he'd find out later. For now, he had quite a few things to do, among them getting some more comic books. This Captain America guy seemed very interesting…

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere in the world, as he and the rest of the Avengers (and some of the Justice League) looked over the newest bunch of comic books that had been sent to them, Steve Rogers sneezed.<em>

* * *

><p>Little did any of them know, Mao's arrival signaled the start of an adventure that would trump anything Mahora's most creative students could ever think up.<p>

And Mahora's most creative students are very good at their chosen field of work, so that's saying something.

* * *

><p><em><span>NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!<span>_

Raspberyl: When all hope is lost, who do you turn to? When the one you thought would never fall falls, who shall answer the call?

Mao: Oh, here we go again…

Raspberyl: Dawn breaks over Mahora, and the amnesiac Mao, the newest student in this prestigious school for delinquents, finds himself searching for clues to his past! Soon, more and more hints turn up that he was (gasp) an honor student!

Mao: You're kidding me. I'm not a student at Mahora or a delinquent! I never will be! Stop dragging me into this!

Laharl: I thought you said your rival didn't get as carried away as Etna!

Raspberyl: What's Mao, defender of Mahora, to do?

Mao: That's the last thing I want to do!

Raspberyl: Does he run away from this new clue to his past? No! Instead, he presses on, looking for leads and hints that point more and more to the truth behind his arrival!

Negi: I don't think he's doing much searching, actually...

Raspberyl: But things soon get complicated with the arrival of one of the most badass delinquents in the universe, Raspberyl!

Mao: Damn it, Beryl, you're supposed to be dead! Stick to the ending!

Raspberyl: Suddenly, Mao finds himself confused around her! Not only that, but she seems to have known him before he ended up in Mahora! Who is this awesome delinquent, and why does he want to defeat her so badly?

Mao: I didn't think even your memory was _this_ bad. Apparently I was wrong.

Raspberyl: All these questions, answered, and more on the next episode of Defenders of Mahora! Episode 3: "The Badass Delinquent Arrives At Last!" Finally, it's my time to shine!

Laharl: Ha! Fool! Everyone knows the true badass here is the original main character, and that honor belongs to me!

Mao: Ha! Idiot! Everyone knows the third game was much better than the original in so many ways!

Laharl: Oh, yeah?

Mao: I'll prove it to you!

Almaz: Oh, here we go again…

* * *

><p><em><strong>Writing setup chapters is like pulling teeth. This one was especially hard to write, but I managed as best as I could. Sorry if it's kinda low in quality, I'll make up for it somehow.<strong>_

_**Gig knows Satsuki? Well, yeah, in this continuity, they do. They're pretty good friends—Gig occasionally swings by Chao Bao Zi to get some hotpods from her, and maybe catch up with each other. Their first meeting involved a lot of violence and an unprecedented amount of badassery on Satsuki's part, but they're friends now. They both respect each other, though it's more begrudgingly on Gig's part, and besides, he'll tell you he's just there for the hotpods.**_

_**Speaking of Satsuki…well, her strange way of speaking in the manga (almost no speech bubbles whatsoever, so it's probably she's probably "talking" through some sort of physical means) has been interpreted here as **__'italicized and in single quotes'__**. I have it as headcanon that somehow, everyone manages to understand her despite the fact that she rarely ever talks, like Zazie.**_

_**Also, no, I will never pair up Satomi and Mao in this story. This isn't my rabid shipper side talking, because I don't have one (remember, I ship everyone with everything). I just can't see them interacting in any other context other than friendship (although that is something Mao will never admit), at least not in this story. Don't worry, I'll make up for it somehow!**_

…_**and it may be incredibly obvious by now exactly who Setsuna was in a past life. If you still haven't, yes, I haven't managed to give something away! This calls for a celebration of sorts.**_

_**And as for the "2 millennia and 3 years" thing…I'm retconning that one to "a few billion years or so". It was an oversight on my part and also a really big "wtf self that is a basic fact HOW COULD YOU FORGET", too. However, I do think that Gig told Mao that it was just 2,003 years for kicks. Rest assured, Madoka and Death reprimanded him quite severely for that, and Mao figured out he was lying when he read something about dinosaurs, which, as we all know, died out around 65 million years ago. I think. Dammit self STOP FORGETTING THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BY NOW.**_

_**And yes, the Marvel universe still exists. I should probably just say the DC universe exists alongside it too (and on the same world!), and that the comic books are real (well, sorta) accounts of their adventures. However, the companies got quite a few things wrong, plus there's the fact that there's so few Marvel vs. DC comics and a lot of them depict their relationships with each other pretty inaccurately. Superman and Captain America respect each other, for one thing, and team up on many occasions. Wolverine does kinda like the fact that he gets so much publicity, but Deadpool is catching up to him and is really happy about it. Also, they are aware of all the weird stuff that goes down in Japan, and thus try their best to avoid said country whenever they go on vacations.**_

…_**also, just for kicks, I'm going to go ahead and add this little omake.**_

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><p><strong>Teachers at Mahora: Yatterman<strong>

"Hey, Ai-chan?"

Ai looked up from the food she was eating. "Yeah, Gan-chan?" she asked.

Her husband wordlessly pointed to the giant mecha that was stomping its way through the campus.

"It's the Doronbo Trio again, isn't it?" Ai asked. "I know, for one thing, that mecha is not in any of my files. And I keep a very comprehensive file on all the robots this place makes."

Gan sighed. "I thought they disbanded three years ago," he commented. "What are they doing now?"

Ai shrugged. "I don't know, but since the Doronbo Trio's back in action…"

"Then Yatterman needs to get back in action as well," Gan realized, a smile on his face.

"Just like old times?"

"Just like old times. Man, I hope the Robotics Club doesn't get there before we do, I don't wanna have to clean up after them again."

"All right, then, let's go!"

Together, for the second time in their lives, the two teachers transformed into the crime-fighting duo, Yatterman, and rushed out of their modest home with Yatter-king and Yatter-pelican.

"YATTA!" they cried.

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><p><em>Somewhere in Mahora, Hiro suddenly sneezed, then pumped his fist into the air and cried, "YATTA!"<em>

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><p>At that exact moment, Chisame Hasegawa looked up at the sky, by coincidence, and stared at the sight of the two teachers.<p>

"Why are Gan-sensei and Ai-sensei riding a giant dog robot that's being carried by a giant pelican robot and wearing suits straight out of the 70's?" she cried. "This is just plain impossible!"

Satomi Hakase, who was already quite used to this (and she rightly should, something like this occurred on a regular basis! This kind of thing occurred only in Japan), only shrugged. "Impossible is nothing," she replied, returning to her Robotics Weekly magazine and trying not to drool over the Iron Man suit and the (admittedly low-quality) snapshot of the more technologically-updated Batman suit.

Damn, she had to call up Tony Stark-sama and Bruce Wayne-sama some time. It had been a long while since she'd actually talked with them. Apparently it seemed they had taken her advice the last time she did.

With that, she flipped the page.

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><p>…<em><strong>yes, I just did. Yes, it's canon. Yes, I'm booting everything I can into this story. No, I have no shame in doing this. To write for Disgaea, you have to have lesser shame than a normal person. Also, it's kind of a given, as I've been posting lately in the All-Purpose Negima Fanfiction Thread. It's a madhouse, and I love it for that.<strong>_

_**Hmm, I think I'm done with this really long author's note. Gah, that is a lot of tl;dr, not counting the omake. Thanks for reading my rambling!**_

_**Effy/Little Miss Independence/LoveIsWeird out.**_


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